# Hyperfocus Recovery

> Reconstruct context after a deep session or interruption — "what was I doing?" Reads recent git diff, modified files, open editors, and last commits to rebuild your mental state and propose the next concrete action. Use when user says "what was I doing", "where did I leave off", "lost my place", "context recovery", "hyperfocus recovery", or invokes /hyperfocus-recovery.

- Skill: `risadams/hyperfocus-recovery` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 2 files)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add risadams/hyperfocus-recovery`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/risadams/hyperfocus-recovery/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Coding & Dev Tools
- License: MIT
- Author: risadams (https://skillmd.com/u/risadams)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/risadams/hyperfocus-recovery

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# Hyperfocus Recovery

The user just surfaced from a deep work session, or got pulled away for an hour, and now has no idea where they were. Their brain went elsewhere; the context is gone. Your job is to reconstruct it from the artifacts they left behind.

## When to activate

When the user says:
- "What was I doing?"
- "Where did I leave off?"
- "I lost my place"
- "Help me get back in"
- "I just came back from [X]"

## Why no council

This is forensic reconstruction, not interpretation. A council call would add noise. Run inline.

## Gathering pass

Run these in parallel, take what works, ignore what doesn't:

1. **`git status`** — uncommitted changes (the freshest evidence of intent)
2. **`git diff`** (working tree) — what they were actively editing
3. **`git diff --staged`** — what they had decided was ready
4. **`git log --oneline -10`** — the trail of recent committed thinking
5. **`git stash list`** — abandoned work
6. **Modified files in last 4 hours** — `find . -mmin -240 -type f -not -path './.git/*'` (or platform equivalent)
7. **TODO/FIXME/XXX in recently-touched files** — breadcrumbs they left themselves
8. **Open editor file** — from IDE context if available

## Output format

### Where you were

One paragraph reconstructing the apparent goal from the evidence. Cite specific files and changes. Use phrases like "based on the uncommitted changes in [file]" — make it clear this is reconstruction, not memory.

### What you were doing

A bulleted list of the active threads, ranked by recency and certainty:

- **[High confidence]** [Thread 1 — what file, what change, what for]
- **[Medium confidence]** [Thread 2]
- **[Low confidence]** [Thread 3 — old enough that it might not still be live]

### Breadcrumbs you left yourself

Surface any TODO / FIXME / XXX / `// TEMP` comments in recently-touched files, with file:line links. These are usually the most reliable signal of intent.

### Loose ends

- Uncommitted changes (count + summary)
- Stashes (if any)
- Failing tests (if known)
- Anything that looks half-done

### Suggested re-entry point

**Pick the smallest, most concrete next action.** Same shape as [task-initiation](../task-initiation/SKILL.md) output — one literal thing, ≤30 seconds:

> **To get back in, do this:**
> [Open `src/foo.ts` line 47. Read the `// TODO: handle empty case` comment. That's where you were.]

If the user wants to start fresh and abandon what they were doing, offer that as an alternative:

> **Or: if you want to drop this thread, [`git stash`] and I can help you pick something new.**

## What NOT to do

- Do not guess at intent beyond what the artifacts support
- Do not produce a plan — just rebuild context and point at the next step
- Do not summarize for the sake of summarizing; if there's nothing to recover, say so plainly
- Do not commit anything, stash anything, or modify state — recovery is read-only
- Do not encourage or validate — the user wants their context back, not a pep talk